


Bound for Normalcy

by Cornerofmadness



Series: The Ties that Bind [5]
Category: Prodigal Son (TV 2019)
Genre: Body Dysphoria, Friendship, Gen, Holidays
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-05
Updated: 2021-01-05
Packaged: 2021-03-15 23:40:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,699
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28572411
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cornerofmadness/pseuds/Cornerofmadness
Summary: Malcolm is just a normal kid, or at least that’s what he wants to be.
Series: The Ties that Bind [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2002873
Comments: 5
Kudos: 31
Collections: Bite Sized Bits of Fic from 2021





	Bound for Normalcy

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Brumeier](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Brumeier/gifts).



> **Disclaimer:** Not mine, Chris Fedak and Sam Sklaver owns it
> 
> **Notes:** Written for brumeier for comment_fic for the prompt Prodigal Son, Malcolm Bright, How to Be A Normal Person (TJ Klune) This fits into my Ties that Bind series where Martin did try to kill Malcolm, damaging his throat but that's about all you need to know for this. You don't have to read the others to read this as they are stand alone.

Malcolm bounced in the car, excitement ramping up. He hadn’t thought his mother would say yes. He expected Vijay’s mother to protest but his mother had gone to India and he’d have spent the Christmas break by himself in the boarding school. Malcolm brought his only friend home with him, though he kept imagining doom. Would Vijay want to know where his dad hid the girl Malcolm had found? Would he want to see the pictures he’d drawn to teach Malcolm anatomy only later proved to be the souvenir’s The Surgeon kept of his kills? Would he hate Gil and Jackie? Worse, would he get along better with Ainsley than he did with Malcolm? He didn’t want to share.

“That’s your home?” Vijay pressed his nose to the window, staring at the Milton family home.

Malcolm nodded even though Vijay couldn’t see him. Silvia, his mother’s driver, came around to open the car. He liked the old woman. He would miss her if she left because she kept muttering she was going to retire soon. He and Vijay spilled out of the car with all the energy of the thirteen-year-old boys that they were. Mother’s maid was already outside and she grabbed their luggage. He signed a thank you as he darted into the home though he wasn’t sure she remembered his sign language.

Vijay stopped in the foyer, craning his head around, taking it all in while Malcolm ran ahead. He saw no signs of his sister but Mother leaned against the door frame to the formal living room. She smiled and threw out her arms. He bounded into them, letting her hug him tight even though Vijay was watching. 

“Look how big you are! I swear you grow an inch a week.” Mom dropped a kiss on his crown. He flushed, squirming until she let him go. “How are you? And hello, Vijay. I’m happy you’re getting to spend the holidays with us.”

“Me too, Mrs. Whitly. Thank you. I have a gift for you from my mother. She’s thrilled I don’t have to spend the break alone.”

“How sweet. Ainsley is with her friends at the moment so you can settle in in peace and quiet.”

Malcolm signed a question to her.

“Gil isn’t sure when he can get away but you know he’ll be here to see you as soon as he can,” she assured him. “I’ll leave you boys to it. I have some work to do.”

“Thanks, Mom,” he said, knowing she loved hearing him more than she liked his sign language. Mom said every word he uttered was a gift after what his father had done to his throat to silence him but Malcolm still hated the rough rasp of what was left of his voice. “Come on, Vijay. I’ll show you your room.”

Malcolm led Vijay up the stairs to one of the big guest rooms that his mother had prepared for their guest. Vijay grinned and bounced on the bed. “This is rad.”

Malcolm signed to him and Vijay frowned. “Slower. I’m still learning, remember.”

He repeated himself and Vijay nodded. “Definitely beats our dorm rooms. No nosey headmaster.”

Malcolm snorted and rasped, “Mom’s nosey.”

“Yeah but she’s your mom. She’s supposed to be.”

“Think the head master is too.” Malcolm dug into his luggage and pulled out his ThinkPad. The laptop made things a little easier when he used his text to speech option. His throat was already aching from talking to Vijay on the drive home. 

“Tell me you have computer games in this place. It seems a little….” Vijay made a face. “Stiff?”

“It’s old, my family’s been here forever,” he typed in.

“I wouldn’t know about that sort of thing. Dad was self-made…probably could have chosen better way to make himself.” Vijay rolled his shoulders.

“Still better than mine. And I have plenty of video games, thanks to Gil. I have Pokémon, Mario Kart, bunches of Final Fantasy and Tomb Raider. Boy Mom hates that game.” Malcolm smiled.

Vijay echoed it. “Tomb Raider it is.” He winked and Malcolm laughed.

XXX

Malcolm had been home with Vijay two days before he heard Gil’s voice. He and Vijay were still playing video games, much to Mom’s chagrin. She wanted them to do anything but sit on their butts playing but what else was there to do? The staff had done all the decorating at the house. He had asked Jackie to buy things for him for Mom and Ainsley, had given suggestions and would give her the money from his allowance. All he wanted to do was sit around, eating Cheetos and be a normal kid. Mom allowed the games but vetoed the Cheetos. He’d send Gil for them.

As much as he wanted to run to Gil and hug him, he didn’t want to seem uncool in front of Vijay. He needed to play it cool and casual. His mother and Gil were talking. While Vijay played Link in Legend of Zelda, Malcolm strained to hear what Mom was saying.

“I send him to the best boarding school money can buy and he comes home a computer game junkie,” Mom lamented. “All he wants to do is play games with his friend and sign at me with sarcasm. How do you even be sarcastic with sign language and a computer voice?”

Gil laughed. 

“It’s not funny, Gil.”

“Oh, but it is. Jessica, he’s an adolescent boy. They live and breathe sarcasm and drama.”

“So teen aged boys belong in a tiger cage until they’re twenty-five?”

“My mother might agree with that.” Gil snorted. “And of course, he wants to play games. No matter what he’s been through, all Malcolm wants is to be a normal kid.”

Mom laughed. “We’re rich, Gil. We don’t do normal. Besides normal is dull.”

Malcolm rolled his eyes. Gil was right. He wanted to know how to be a normal person. Gil was his model for that. Malcolm had very few models of normalcy. Certainly, his mother wasn’t. Vijay wasn’t either. He was as goofy as they came. Malcolm could never _be_ him as much as he loved spending time with his friend.

“Hey kid!” Gil called, stepping into the room.

Malcolm put aside his controller and Vijay paused the game. Jumping up, Malcolm forced himself to saunter over rather than run. He signed his greeting and Gil beamed. Out of everyone, he was the one who did best with the sign language. He understood that it was easier on Malcolm sometimes and that Malcolm hated the computer voice even if it made life so much easier.

Gil grabbed him up in a hug, taking him off his feet, and rubbed his back. “I’m so glad to see you, kid. How are you?”

_Fine_ , he signed once he stopped hugging back. _This is Vijay._

Gil stepped up to Vijay who was on his feet now. Gil stuck out his hand. “Nice to meet you, Vijay. I’m Gil Arroyo.”

“You’re Malcolm’s cop!” Vijay grinned and Malcolm face palmed. Nope, Vijay didn’t make it any easier to be a normal person. 

Gil laughed. “That’s me.”

“He talks about you all the time. I thought you might be one of his dreams. You know how they are.”

_My dreams are bad,_ Malcolm signed, scowling at his friend. _Gil’s not_.

“Yeah, yeah, he’s great. I know.” Vijay rolled his eyes.

“Malcolm, it might be nice for Gil to hear you after all these months,” Mom prompted him.

He tried not to sigh. He knew she meant well. He’d have to talk a lot today. _Can I have cocoa, Mom? The heat helps my throat._

“I’ll send Amy for some,” she promised.

“It’s okay, kid, if it’s bothering you,” Gil rubbed the back of Malcolm’s neck. “You can get your computer.”

He knew it was okay. Gil never complained about that. Malcolm knew there was nothing wrong about having a disability but it did make him feel different. He would never feel completely normal but he could try.

_It’s okay_.

“How about you two put away the game and we’ll all talk and have cocoa?” Mom suggested.

“That okay, Vijay? You can play by yourself while I visit with Gil,” Malcolm said out loud.

Vijay shrugged. “I want hot chocolate and I don’t mind hanging.”

“Good. Where is Jackie, Gil? I want to see her too,” Malcolm said, wincing as his voice cracked. Great, not only did his voice sound like a rusty gate now it was cracking at the worst times. Judging by the grins on Gil and Mom’s faces, he was going to be hearing about how he was becoming a man all day. All he wanted was to get it over with immediately. At least a cracking voice was bearable. Sure beat the random boner for no reason whatsoever. At least it wasn’t him the last time someone got caught in class like that. Poor Adam. He wasn’t a bad kid. It should have been Dickie Dalton. He had the name for it and he was a giant boner. Vijay said it all the time and he was right.

“She had to work today but she wants you and Vijay to come to dinner with us tomorrow if you want.”

“I’m cool with that,” Vijay said.

“Great. I’ll call her later and let her know. Let’s go get that hot chocolate and let me guess, double marshmallow for Malcolm.”

“Always.”

“That sounds great. Sign me up,” Vijay said with a little bounce. 

“Can we have it here in the game room?” Malcolm asked. Sitting down in the formal dining room to have cocoa wasn’t normal. This room was relaxed.

“Of course,” Mom went to tell Amy to make them the hot chocolate.

Malcolm settled on the couch between Gil and Vijay. This is what he wanted, just a normal day with his family and friends. This what normal people did. His mother might not want to be normal but he did. He’d never be a hundred percent normal but maybe Mom was right about normal being boring. He could live with that. This was going to be the best holiday in forever.


End file.
